The most traumatic few days of Barnsley's increasingly intense Premiership experience took another heart-wrenching turn for the worse at Ewood Park last night, as a late goal by the Blackburn substitute Kevin Gallacher condemned the visitors to a second consecutive, barely-warranted defeat.
Picking up Jeff Kenna's 86th-minute through ball on the edge of the penalty area, Gallacher simultaneously swivelled, stumbled and shot into the bottom-left corner to lift Roy Hodgson's side into fourth place in the table. Coming 18 minutes after Georgi Hristov's reply to Martin Dahlin's early strike, it represented brutally tough luck for Barnsley.
A return to winning habits had become even more paramount for Danny Wilson's side, what with the threat of FA censure added to the list of obstacles facing relegation-threatened Barnsley following the weekend's unwanted case of audience participation at Oakwell.
That need was partially reflected in the team-sheet, although the return from injury of Ashley Ward was balanced by the absence of Jan Aage Fjortoft. In place of Matty Appleby, Darren Sheridan and Clint Marcelle, came Georgi Hristov, Jovo Bosancic and Adrian Moses.
For Blackburn, victory was also important, given that their hopes of qualifying for a UEFA Cup berth had taken a hefty battering by a depressing sequence of one win in six league games. Nevertheless, Gallacher found himself warming the bench despite completing his suspension.
And, at least early on, it appeared to be a good thing too, as it was the player he would undoubtedly have replaced who opened the scoring with a sublime goal after barely seven minutes.
Dahlin and Chris Sutton embarked on a series of neat, one-touch passes that ultimately saw the Swedish striker alone in the area, except that is for Dave Watson, the Barnsley goalkeeper. His presence was soon negated by a wistful flick of the ball and in the same movement, Dahlin side-stepped his floundering opponent and walked the ball into an empty net.
As many unsuspecting teams have recently discovered, however, a wounded Barnsley is a dangerous beast. The equaliser came in the 67th minute, perhaps linked to the departure of Tim Flowers who had injured his knee. Within three minutes of Alan Fettis's arrival, Barnsley had drawn level, courtesy of a searing long ball by Nicky Eaden and a sure-fire finish by Hristov.
Blackburn: Flowers (Fettis 65), Kenna, Sherwood, Hendry, Ripley (Duff 63), Sutton, Dahlin (Gallacher 72), Wilcox, Flitcroft, McKinlay, Henchoz. Subs Not Used: Davidson, Broomes. Booked: Wilcox. Goals: Dahlin 8, Gallacher 87.
Barnsley: Watson, Eaden, Moses, Redfearn, Bullock (Marcelle 58), Bosancic, Jones (Liddell 89), Hristov, Barnard, Ward, Morgan, Marcelle (Sheridan 84). Subs Not Used: Appleby, Leese. Booked: Redfearn, Morgan, Bosancic, Hristov. Goals: Hristov 67.
Referee: M D Reed (Birmingham).
